Safety device for firearms



Dec. 14, 1948; P, GAUGLER SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. '7, 1947 LLOYD P. GAUGLER Patented Dec. 14, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

V p 2,455,99o h I SAF DEVICE FOR FIREARMS Lloyd P Gaugler, Elysburg, Pa. 7

Application January 7, 1947, Serial No. 720,511

1 Claim, (01; a-voy This invention relates to a safety device for firearms. It is primarily adapted for sporting guns to prevent the actuation of the ejecting and loading mechanism and also to prevent the trigger from actuating the firing mechanism for guardingagainst inadvertent firing or discharge :Itis common in sporting guns, such as shotgunsand rifles, to provide a safetymechanism for preventing the actuation of the loading and ejecting mechanism and also to prevent inadvertent operation of the trigger. In most of these prior devices the finger piece for operating the locking mechanism is arranged on the side of the frame' of the gun; For this reason the gun which is provided with the finger piece onthe right hand side of the gun maybe operated by a person who shoots right-handed but extremely awkward for a left-handed :user. Furthermore, the finger piece on the side of the gun is more apt to be inadvertently operated to the off position While the gun is being carried,lparticularly when the person is going through brush or high weeds. Furthermore, when the safety finger piece is located on the side of the gun,jit is cated in a position which makes a separate movement of the finger necessary to condition the gun for quick shooting. The present invention is directed to the provision of a mechanism for operating the safety mechanism of a gun which natural position on the top of th frame where the finger piece may be operated by thethumb almost automatically as the gun is raised to the users shoulder.

Accordingly one of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a safety locking mechanism for firearms which might be readily operated by either the right or left shoulder.

Another object is to provide such a safety locking mechanism in a position on the gun frame where it will be less liable to inadvertent operation.

Another object is to provide a safety locking mechanism which must be operated in a direction to unlock the locking mechanism such that when the gun is normally carried and the safety mechanism is struck by brush or Weeds there will be a tendency for the safety mechanism to be pushed to the locking position.

' Other and further objects will become readily apparent from the following description when and ejecting mechanism [8.

considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Figure, 1 is a partial elevational assemblyrof all of the gun except the stock and the end-of the barrel, with part of the forward part of the stock and the frame broken away to show the operating mechanism;

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of Figure 1 with all of the stock removed and with part of. the gun frame cut away to show the details of the operating mechanism; and 1 Figure 3 is a partial exploded perspective view showing thetrigger, mechanism and thesafety locking means provided in accordance with the present invention.

The particular type of firearm chosen for the purposes of illustrating the present inventionis a heavy caliber rifle including a frame ID, a barrell I and-a stock. I2, extending rearwardly from the tang [3 of the frame. Integral with underside of the frame I0 is a boss I4 to which a lever I5 is pivotally connected at [6 for operating the loading andejecting mechanism indicated generally by the reference numeral 18. The boss l4, together With the lever 15 serves as the guard for the trigger I! which issuitably pivoted in the frame at Ila. The firing mechanism includes a firing pin cocking mechanism [9 which is cooked in a firing position when the loading mechanism is closed as will be more readily apparent hereinafter.

The lever I5 is provided with an extension l5a, the end of which is operably associated through a conventional mechanism 2| with the loading The operable con-- nection 2| is conventional and no further description is necessary except to state that its construction is such as to operate the loading and ejecting mechanism back and forth lon-gitudinally of the gun when the lever H3 is operated about its pivot l6. As the loading and ejecting mechanism [8 is pushed home by the operating lever I5, the firing pin cocking mechanism I9 is stopped in the cooked position, shown in Fig- .ure 2, when the depending boss l9a engages the firing pin tripping mechanism 22. This latter mechanism includes a link 23, the forward end of which is pivoted to the gun frame at 24 and the other end of which is provided with a transverse pin 25 which engages a slot llb in an arm l'lc on the trigger H. An integral lug 23a, extending upwardly from the link 23 is adapted to engage the depending boss [9a of the firing pin cocking mechanism when the link 23 is normally biased to its uppermost position by means of the U-shaped spring 26. It will be readily apparent from the drawings that during normal operation the gun can be fired by pulling the trigger I! which will lower the rearward end of the link 23 and with it the integral lug 23a releasing the firing pin mechanism l9 and permitting it to strike the cartridge.

In order that the gun can not be inadvertently discharged, safety locking mechanism is provided for preventing the operation of the trigger I! or the actuation of the lever I6. To this end a safety catch 21 is adapted to slide in a rectangular channel 28. The safety catch 21 is provided with a depending hook 29 open on the forward side and adapted to engage :a transverse boss 3| on the lever when the latter is in the closed position and when the catch 21 is in its forwardmost position. At the same time a forward extension 32 of the catch.2l isadapte'd to overlie a rearwardly extendingboss 33 on the trigger ll. :It will be readily apparent that when the catch is in its forwardmost position neither the trigger llnor the lever I5 can be operated.

In. orderthat this safety catch locking mechanism"may be readily'operated by the thumb of the person using the gun, suitable mechanism ontop of the tang.l3 is provided for operating the catch 21. To this end, a lever 34' is .pivotally supported at"3& in a bracketST having an integral foot 38 attached to t'l'ie'frame H): by suitable screws or in any other desired manner. The lower end of the lever 34 is adapted to engage-a notch -2lb in'the upperside of the catch'21.

' 'Ihe upper end of the lever 34 is provided with a longitudinal slot 34a which serves as the pivotal connection with a suitable finger piece w which is adapted to slide upon thecurved upper surface of the rearward end of the tang 13. The finger piece 39 is provided'with suitably spaced ears 4| which are apertured to receive transverse pin 42' which is adapted to extend through the holes in the ears and through the slot 34a ofthe lever 34. The size of the pin 4! andt'he transverse dimension of the slot is such that therewill be substantially no transverse relative-motion between the finger piece 39 and the lever" 34 but will permit relative longitudinal movement be tweenthe ears 4-1 and the lever 34. It will be readily apparent that since the radius of curvature of the tang I3 is greater than the distance between the upper surface of 'the tang and the pivot point '36 relative long? adapted to straddle the outside of the ears 4| is fixed to the underside of the tang l3 by means of a screw 44. The pin 42 referred to above is long enough so that it projects outwardly beyond the ears 4| and the ends thereof are engaged by the bifurcations 43a of the spring 43 which resiliently urges the finger piece 39 against the upper surface of the tang l3.

It will be readily apparent from the above description that the present invention provides a simple safet locking mechanism which is not .liable to become inadvertently operated and which may be readily operated by a right-handed or lefthandedrperson.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations are posoperation, means for actuating :said locking means comprising a bracket carried by asaid frame, a lever pivoted to said: bracket intermediatethe ends of said lever and adapted to operatively engage said locking'imeans, theupper end of said lever having a. longitudinal slot, afinger piece adapted to slide upon the upper surface of said tang, said finger piece'provided with laterally spaced depending ears having transversely aligned holes, a pin. engaging said slot in said lever and said holes in said ears and extending outwardly beyond said ears, the diameter ofrsai'd pin relative to the Widthof said slotzbeingsllch that there is no lost .motion transversely .of the axis of said lever during 'relativamovtementnof the finger piece longitudinally of :the axis of said lever,. and: a spring on the underside of said tang, said spring. having bifurcated; ends adapted to straddle said earsand to'engagesaid pin to resiliently urge said finger piece "against the upper side of said tang.

LLOYD P. 'GAUGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENT$ Number Name Date 433,260 Walsh July 29, 1890 776,381 Brooks Nov. 29, 1904 110713994 Flues Sept. 2, 19'13 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 410,393 Great Britain May 1'1, I934- 

